She's Strong
by Shortest Ar
Summary: IchiRuki OneShot; Rukia's strong...she just doesn't know it yet. Rated T for Language.


Hey, there. Ar's back. Seems like forever since I actually posted something... hell, maybe it _has_been. Anyways, here's something I wrote on some scraps of paper the other night, and since I had two hours of nothing today, I decided to edit it, type it, and post it here. So, yeah. This was inspired on a band trip (GO BAND GEEKS) to Sun Peaks this weekend. Some girl was talking crap about my friend and totally wrecked about three hours of the trip. So, as I tried to sleep on an extremely uncomfortable pull-out bed, I imagined a nice little piece of fluff in which Rukia was upset... so, ta da! And I'm going to stop now, because this is _far_ too long...

Enjoy!

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**POV: Rukia**

_Their whispers filled my ears as I headed to class._

_"I heard he was already sleeping with Inoue and Tatsuki before Kuchiki came."_

_"What sluts. Don't they know he's been around?"_

_"I think that Kurosaki's more the problem. I mean, what a jerk. Have you _ever_seen him smile? He's always scowling and thinking and never paying attention to people. And, he skips school, like, everyday, saying he has to 'go to the bathroom' at the exact same time as Kuchiki. I wonder what they're _really_ doing..."_

_"Ha. They're all bitches."_

_"You are _so _right."_

_I tried to keep my head up going down the hall. I was shocked. Did everyone think that way about Ichigo and I? It was horrible..._

--

_A few hours later..._

I locked myself in his closet. I couldn't bear to see his face right now.

Didn't he know that everyone that he was a bad person? Wasn't he aware that I was making everything worse? Did he _care?_

It was my fault, wasn't it? After all, if I hadn't been so selfish and asked to stay here with him, this wouldn't have happened. I was screwing up his life.

But, the thought of leaving him tore me apart. I couldn't—I wouldn't be able to go on. Because of my selfishness, Ichigo's reputation was ruined.

I was a horrible person for staying here, but I couldn't leave. How ironic. I started to tremble and tears spilled down my cheeks. My chest felt like it ripping into pieces. It was all I could do to curl up and grasp my sides, trying to keep myself together. I was such a wimp for reducing to this.

My eyes were squeezed shut when Ichigo forced open the closet door. I gasped at the gust of cold air and curled up tighter.

"Rukia?" he whispered. I could hear pain in his voice. It made me look up at his face.

I was shocked. His face was… different. I could read it for once, like he had taken away his mask. He was happy to have finally gotten the door open. He was curious about why I had locked it in the first place. He was confused and concerned as he looked at my condition and appearance. But there was something else, too. It was pain-- but for what?

I couldn't stand to look anymore. Was it me who had made his face like this? I shut my eyes again and buried my face in the mattress. I wanted to hug him and tell him everything, but I didn't. I didn't know how he would react to it.

However, my restraint was for naught when I felt him lift me out of the closet and onto his bed, where he sat me in the middle of it before sitting beside me. I turned to him and slowly wrapped my arms around his waist. He returned the gesture, but I could feel the cautious and carefulness in his movements.

I didn't care.

I burst out sobbing, and he just held me to his chest, letting me ruin his shirt. I remembered all sorts of things—what people had said, and promises I had made to myself. When I thought of a promise I had made a while back, I paused.

I had vowed never to cause Ichigo trouble.

But, now, not only had I caused him trouble, I had made him worry, too. I needed to stop crying.

I pulled away from him and wiped my face with my sleeve. I took deep breaths and blinked a couple to times to clear the fog in front of my eyes. My head was throbbing, and I was shaking.

"Rukia, what was that?" Ichigo murmured in my ear. His voice was reluctant and it sounded like he had chosen his words carefully.

I didn't want him to worry, or cause any more trouble.

"I…it was nothing," I lied. I tried to keep my head up, but my voice cracked on the last word. He saw right through it.

"The hell it was nothing!" he said with an edge in his voice. I instinctively shrunk, but that only seemed to make him angrier. "I did it again, didn't I," he said, barely more than a whisper this time.

I was curious. "Did what?"

"I didn't mean to scare you, I never do," he explained, "But I do, don't I? I yell when I know I shouldn't, and I don't mean to, but something snaps… I'm sick of it! It's like you have these secrets from me, like some burden you must carry. I want to know! I want to help, but I can't, because you shut me out. Why?"

I was speechless, but he continued.

"What could be so horrible that it would keep you upset like this for so long, without telling me? Did you know that when you're miserable, it makes me miserable, too? Did you know that every time you smile, I can tell it doesn't reach your eyes?"

I was still frozen.

"See? You _still _don't say anything. Is it… is it _me?_" he said. The pain was back in his voice.

What did he mean, '_was it him?'_

I had no idea he felt like this. I thought I was doing a good job of smothering my emotions. Apparently, I sucked at it. I could feel the tears returning, and I fought the lump in my throat.

"You… want to know?" I mumbled into his chest, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"I really do," he murmured, pulling me closer to him. It felt incredibly good to hear his heartbeat in my ears and feel his arms around my waist.

It felt like just for a few moments, I was safe.

I decided to just blurt out my answer.

"I'm all wrong," I said, my heart pounding out a fast rhythm. "Ever since I came here, they talk about you. They say things that aren't true, Ichigo! It's all because I'm here; because I'm selfish. I'm _horrible_! Why are you even _around_ me?" I said, starting in a whisper, but ending in a hysteric sob.

He chuckled. I could feel it vibrate in his chest. He was laughing at me! I stiffened instinctively.

Noticing my reaction, he pulled me closer until I was crushed into his chest. I relaxed against him once more.

"No," he whispered. "You're perfect. Don't let them get to you. They're jealous, you know. They want to be like you. They want to be the girl with enough courage to hang out with guys and hold her own in a fight. They want to be strong, like you are."

His words were _way_ too good to be true.

"That's the thing," I mumbled. "I'm not strong—that's the problem! I'm weak! How can you say I'm _strong _when I'm here, crying so much?" I protested.

He chuckled. "_You've _got it wrong, Rukia. You are incredibly strong. And, sometimes we need to cry. I'm actually kind of glad you did—I was worried."

"Worried about _what_?"

I regretted my question what I looked up to see his face contort into an expression of sadness. It looked like he was remembering something.

When he spoke, it was quick and low and it took me a second to make sense of what he had said.

"I was worried you were going to leave me again."

My heart skipped a beat, and I looked down. If there was anything I would do over in life, it would have been that night when the rain had poured down on a dying Ichigo while I said a rough good-bye to him, thinking I was saying good-bye to him forever.

I lifted my head again to look at his face. The mask was back. I returned my head to his chest to his chest before answering. I had to choose my words carefully. I needed to say exactly how I felt. I needed to figure out how to convince him that I needed him way too much to even consider leaving.

"I would never leave you," I whispered into his neck. "I _need_ you." I said exactly how I felt, as straightforward as I could.

I could feel his chin on the top of my head now. He was relaxed. I hid my feeling of triumph at my success. I pressed my cheek to his collarbone instead.

We were quiet for a long time. I didn't want to break the embrace. I wanted this moment to last forever, but, my crying had left me tired. Eventually, Ichigo noticed my battle with my eyelids.

"Maybe you should sleep, Rukia," he suggested.

"No," I replied. "I don't want this to end…" I could hear his heart speed up before returning to normal.

"Don't worry," he whispered into my hair. "We have tomorrow, and the next day, and the next…" My train of thought went astray when I felt his lips in my hair.

When I got my thoughts back, I felt comforted. I relaxed, letting myself slip into slumber. However, I needed to say something before I fell asleep.

"Thanks."

I could feel him smile. "Anytime."

Then I was gone, dreaming of a future where Ichigo was always there, holding my hand. I could face anything, knowing he'd catch me if I fell. And that was very reassuring.

So, what did you think? PLEASE review!

I'm working on another Bleach IchiRuki story. I'm writing right now, wondering if it should be Multi-Chaptered. So, I'm gonna keep on writing it and see how it turns out...

-Ar


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